


Father, Son and... Benrey...?

by Benry_Freeman



Series: Welcome to the Nightmare of Black Mesa, Benry [2]
Category: HL-Fandom, HLVRAI-Fandom, Half-Life, Half-Life VR But AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Horror, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst and Feels, Animal Attack, Apocalypse, BenRey - Freeform, Benrey (Half-Life) - Freeform, Benrey Calhoun - Freeform, Black Mesa (Half-Life), Blood and Injury, Curses, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Fairy Tale Curses, Fantasy, Gordon Freeman - Freeform, Gorgons (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Human, Injury, M/M, Magic, Major Character Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mutants, Mutation, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangulation, Survival Horror, Tags May Change, Threats, Threats of Violence, Wrongful Imprisonment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29255466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benry_Freeman/pseuds/Benry_Freeman
Summary: Gordon Freeman now has a new mess on his hands... Unfortunately, his main plan was to keep this human alive long enough to use him as a decent meal for himself and his son... but... He lost his nerve. The thought of killing someone else's child as he was raising Joshua about shook Gordon to his very core. Truly, he had gone soft... The next question was... What the actual hell does he do with his man now...? Shit. Wonderful. Just great. As always Gordon somehow made his life so much harder than he had to... Why did this always happen to him... Unfortunately for Gordon, he didn't realize what a... PROBLEM he dragged in...
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Series: Welcome to the Nightmare of Black Mesa, Benry [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136057
Kudos: 15





	Father, Son and... Benrey...?

Warning: This fic contains some themes of fantasy and horror events, violence, cussing, injuries, blood, threats, some minor cuts, some mentions of death, depression, anxiety, and things of that nature. This series will have horror and fantasy themes, including mythical and fantasy-based creatures. If these things bother or disturb you, do not continue reading. Discretion is advised. 

It had taken Gordon over an hour to navigate the labyrinth of debris and sharp edges of the small narrow pathway he managed to clear through the remaining rubble of collapsed building and foundation. There were painstaking days and weeks dedicated to making sure their makeshift home was only accessible to him and his son. He worked tirelessly, making it virtually impossible for someone who didn’t have a serpentine-like body and the knowledge of pitfalls, potential spots of cave-ins, weak foundations of the labyrinth. And, as an extra precaution some makeshift traps he made from bits of pieces of sharp debris that was laying around. Came in super handy.

There was a tense pause, Gordon felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably as Gordon’s thoughts ran wild in his mind. About how he and his son weren’t the only things living in this hellhole... Nor were they safe either... The worrying thought made him sigh loudly and shake his head. No time to dwell on that. Dragging the human through this maze was a major pain in the ass. This human was small, thank god... but making sure he didn’t accidentally gut the guy on sharp glass edges that his belly scales just grazed over without an issue was tricky... It didn’t help that he had to do a shitty patch job to keep the guys blood from leading a path right to their makeshift home...

There was a sharp jab of pain as his bare skin of his arm got a small shallow cut as he crept forward, not realizing he let his mind roam a bit... AGAIN. Truly didn’t want to kill this poor guy... Just the one thought alone made his heart ache... god... the thought of his son kept creeping into his mind each time he thought about it. Imagining if that were his child... in the same position as this guy.... how this was someone’s son... Gordon winced, feeling his emotions get the better of him. It’s not like he has a choice, he had to feed himself and Joshua... The mistakes of the past have been dealt and done; not like Gordon couldn’t change what happened... None of that mattered, this was their life now. This was no longer a matter of being nice or mean anymore... It was a matter of survival.

The constant annoying buzz of guilt kept him distracted and made him forget about his smashed glasses. Meaning he had extremely low visibility and can’t see further than 2 inches in front of his nose. Which he remembered very quickly when he accidentally slammed his head into a metal pipe that hung down from some of the concrete foundations just above his head... The splitting pain in his already aching head made Gordon groaned loudly, as his head was now throbbing with a new intensity. That chair smack gave him a rip-roaring headache. Now it was on the verge of a migraine. This sure was NOT the kind of day that left you in a good mood. A dumb thought ran crazily in his mind…  
For a bean pole, that guy sure had a strong swing and that hit hurt like HELL. Not to mention that chair was heavy. Normally Gordon despised going back to Joshua in such a foul mindset... It was virtually impossible to stay positive in such a dismal state of despair... Yet somehow Joshua always managed to do so, despite everything. A faint flicker of light made Gordon smile faintly, as slowly and eagerly slips his upper body out into a once former lab within Black Mesa. The Labyrinth he created was a hole in the wall, which was debris and items were shifted around to make it only accessible to those who knew where to find it… Plus he prided himself on making sure it was dangerous as hell for any trespassers who may try to sneak their way into their den. Some have tried, many have died. More food for them. Sure enough, Gordon straightened up with a huff, as he gently pulls himself out of the very tight exit/entrance.

As he slowly stretches out, Gordon groaned loudly, as he felt his back pop in many places and continued like a domino effect down the snake parts of his body. It still gives him the creeps when he did that... he vaguely remembers what his human body felt like... before everything fell apart. Thinking about the past didn’t solve problems, it only made them worse. Best to leave it behind altogether. Slowly, Gordon glances around quickly to make sure nothing snuck in while he was gone. A faint groan within the tunnel behind him made him sigh loudly. The human was still unconscious, but he was slowly coming to. Best take care of this human before he wakes up… Not wasting any time Gordon quickly slithered carefully to turn fully around before he slips onto his stomach. As carefully as he could without cutting his own arms to ribbons on the sharp rocks, Gordon gently wrapped his arms under and around the man’s arms and chest, slowly dragging him out from the last bit of the maze. As he slowly and gently did so, he felt a small sigh of relief. Breathing picking up, heart rate slowly creeping back to a normal range. Good, the man would snap out of the venom, he’ll just feel hung over… That was the number one complaint he got from other people when he bit them… The tension in his body eased a bit, seeing that the man’s leg injury didn’t bleed all through the maze. HAH, means his patch job DIDN’T suck after all. No trail for something to follow... plus the bleeding slowed significantly. After noting the slightest increase in the man’s heartbeat and breathing, Gordon felt a small twinge of relief, and worry. Shit, he was waking up A LOT faster than he anticipated.

Wait... wait why did he care?! Snap out of it you moron! You can’t feel anything, he’s gonna be food, nothing more. With a loud growl and a huge amount of denial, Gordon glares at the man, before he felt his mind slip off again... The man looked so small... The pain of his heart throbbing again... god... he was going soft... he couldn’t kill him; he couldn’t do it... that thought of that being Joshua nearly made him vomit... All Gordon could do was shake his head, sighing angrily. The rattle at the end of his tail began to buzz softly, showing his clear displeasure at his growing weakness. There had be food elsewhere, but right now he’d have to figure out what to do with him now... For now, he hoped he could take care of this man before Joshua woke up from his nap... Trying to explain this to Joshua would only make his headache worse…

As gently as he could, Gordon stoops down and scoops the man’s limp body into his arms, staring gently at him. At first, Gordon was worried, the man’s body was abnormally warm, and he seemed partly sweaty… Did he have a fever?! OH, shit. There weren’t any meds he could give him if he was sick... The slightest amount of movement from the man-made Gordon yelp, as the man gently curls up a bit in his arms, trying to nestle a bit closer into Gordon’s firm chest. The sensation made Gordon's face blaze and burn, his cheeks absolutely redder than HELL. OH. UHM… That was not what he was expecting. Something made Gordon hesitate. This guy… was adorable, and quite handsome… Okay, not quite. He WAS HANDSOME and undeniably cute. That wasn’t enough to like someone though… This guy was smart… clearly smart enough to try and fight back against a gorgon. Most tried with fist fighting, they lost very quickly. Either the chair was a stroke of dumb luck or... Hm... Ok, maybe not. This dumb ass was stupid enough to waltz right in and kept himself trapped… Like so many other countless lives have… A moth drawn to a flame, before its wings were set ablaze. One of the other things that kept popping up relentlessly in his mind was the man’s eyes… Such… alluring brilliantly bright eyes. Such gorgeous deep blue eyes, so soft and gentle yet they blazed with such a fire and passion Gordon had never seen before… 

It had taken several minutes for Gordon to realize he was still holding this man in his arms… and his head was resting gently on his chest. WHY WAS HE STILL HOLDING HIM LIKE THAT!? Quickly clearing his throat, he began to panic slightly. SHIT, if Joshua saw that he would NEVER EVER live that down… Even his snakes on his head seemed to hiss in mocking laughter at his internal struggle. With a vigorous headshake, the snakes accidentally banged against one another, hissing angrily in protest. With a loud smug snort, Gordon began slithering around his makeshift home to find a space to stash the human. Hastily, he glanced around for something he could pen him in or keep him in one place... The man’s body wouldn’t be able to handle any more venom... That would kill him... There was a couple of times Gordon thought he accidentally killed the man with too much venom... This man’s body was so small in comparison to the previous humans that got lured here... 

After growling lowly at his snakes whom seemed to mouthing off again, a very loud assertive hiss finally shut them up. Much to his surprise, Gordon felt one of the timid snakes gently nudge his cheek with its nose, its tongue flicked in and out slowly. As it turned and stuck its tongue out at a long metal beam that had been permanently lodged into the floor of the lab. It acted as a support beam keeping the entire roof from caving in... This was not a simple rod of metal about a few centimeters wide... This was a huge steel building beam... like the foundations of constructing a metal structured facility... It smashed into the floor with such a force during the cave-ins and the downfall of Black Mesa... That would work... The snake bobbed its head eagerly, looking proud of itself finding an ideal spot to stash the human. With a smile, Gordon makes a series of soft hisses to the snake before slithering to the beam, inspecting it for a bit.

After some inspection, Gordon sets the man down, propping him up in a sitting position with his back leaning against the metal beam. The man’s head hung limply to the side, thin shoulders slumped downwards, and his hands rested flatly at the sides of his hips. The security hat slips off the man’s head, showing jet black hair hanging loosely down into his face. Messy, slightly punk, thick, and wild hair hung gently on his forehead and just hung in his eyes. It was decently short, but it made him look… NO god dammit Gordon STOP. Not happening. It wasn’t going to happen. No way, he refused to fall in love again. Not after losing Joshua’s mother…. Plus, he didn’t know this man. Why would this damned fool love a hideous half-snake half-man monster….? 

No. A sudden rush of anger and resentment blazed in his chest, making his fists clench tightly. No, he wouldn’t be hurt again, wouldn’t be left behind…. Then… why did he hesitate, each time… Easily, Gordon could end this man’s fragile life with a single bite, but… WHY…. WHY COULDN’T HE… Something kept stopping him… But what… With a quick glance at the man, he felt his eyes widen, before every ounce of anger left his body. Finally, he understood. As he stared, it made sense. The man’s drive to live… How determined he was… That spark in his eyes seemed to haunt Gordon… How haunted, tormented those eyes looked… the gaze of a man who’s suffered so much, yet keeps going despite having no chance of surviving, of succeeding… Yet that didn’t stop him. Pure wrath, untamable fury, and such passion… It absolutely terrified Gordon. 

There was some movement, and lots of groaning. As Gordon sat there, lost in his own mind of the images of that man’s… unnaturally haunting eyes, the man seemed to be waking up. Shit, he waited too long, daydreaming of that man’s vast endless eyes… STOP THAT GORDON, STOP THINKING OF HIS EYES, FOCUS!!!!! With a huge amount of sudden panic, Gordon quickly slithered around the room, checking the pile of boxes he stored all the miscellaneous junk he’d find on his hunts and scouting their territory. Surely, he was SMART and actually grabbed something useful that may work to tie this guy up or something. Box by box, pile by pile, he rummaged and dug through heaps and piles of junk. Was this borderline hoarding…? Naw… No, not the pile of books, not the medical kits won’t help... So far… he was really beginning to kick himself mentally for the bullshit he’s been hoard- COLLECTING… over the years. Oh, wait, was that…? Hah, that’s it! After shifting some loose debris and piles of old books he used to keep himself sane nowadays, Gordon snatched a long and still sturdy piece of rope. There were some smaller bits of it tucked towards the back of the book piles.... That’ll do, Gordon thought.

Swiftly slithering back to the man, Gordon inspected what would be the best way to handle this… After a couple moments of pondering and measuring the rope, Gordon slithered behind the bar and the man, grabbing the man’s arms and wrists, pulling them around and behind the bar. With a great deal of struggling and some cussing, he managed to tie the man’s hands and arms firmly behind the bar. The rope was surprisingly in great shape, was flexible and wasn’t easy to wriggle out of… Plus, it wouldn’t break from damage or age since it appeared pretty new… After standing up, Gordon inspected the ropes, making sure there was no chance of him escaping and hurting Joshua while he was gone… or sleeping. Hah, yeah, no way he’d get out of that... As an extra precaution he tied the man’s chest and shoulders to the bar, making sure the rope knots were good and tight. That man wasn’t going anywhere. Not without someone untying or cutting him free. As Gordon did so, he heard more uncomfortable grunts and the man shifting uneasily. Just as a precaution, after Gordon finished checking the security of the ropes, he quickly bound the man’s feet as well. No way was he going to risk this sly little weasel getting creative and running off... or hurting Joshua. With a dark thought Gordon snorted, this was payback for smacking that damn chair in his face... With an agitated hiss and a deep growl, he was sure his nose was bent from that... Still hurt like hell... not to mention his SHATTERED glasses or the splitting migraine he had.

With a painful throb threatening to split his head open, Gordon snarled at his snakes on his head as they seemed to hiss and writhe, mocking him for allowing his face to be smashed in by such a scrawny human. God, these little shits were worse than Bubby... It was like he was permanently stuck with him, never getting a break... That guy managed to piss him off in every way possible. Didn’t think he could meet a more annoying person. Unfortunately for Gordon, didn’t realize how VERY wrong he was... As the man finally began to wake up and attempted to sit up, Gordon felt his lips curl back as he growled, his snakes hissing and rising in response. The rattle at the end of his tail rang out as a warning in the once former great potions lab of Black Mesa.

***

With a significant amount of pain and discomfort, Benrey groaned. God... this didn’t feel like any normal hangover... shit. Wow, this was not something he was familiar with… REALLY hoped that he was just so hung over that he was positive his kidneys and liver were shot to hell... yeah... that had to be it. Why his head THROBBING, his chest felt like a train had slammed into his ribs… Or the reason why his whole body felt like it went through a dryer with a bunch of boulders...? Jesus... At first, he wasn’t sure if he could lift his head, he felt so dizzy. And his guts protested with spasms as they clenched and unclenched painfully... that was new... along with his muscles spasming... This was not normal... Most of the time, Benrey tried his best to avoid drugs at parties, or at all... what was going on...

After sitting there for a good solid 3 minutes, mentally asking if he should even try to, Benrey regretfully pried open his eyes. OH, BIG MISTAKE. At first , his head felt like a drum being played to a heavy metal song, but NOW it felt like lead sinking down to the bottom of the ocean... Shit... this was way worse than any hangover he was ever familiar with... Head ached badly, body completely ached, his right shoulder felt so damn numb... and his leg... he must’ve slipped on something at a house party... yeah.... Totally got sooo drunk he totally got slipped something, and he had a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE TRIP... no way... What he dreamt was real... Being chased by a snake man, being locked in a facility that looked completely abandoned and apparently housing extremely attractive snake men... Hah wow. No more house parties for him. Not ever. This was the worst party.... -250/10.... So not pog....

After trying a couple times, Benrey groaned loudly as his neck screamed in pain as he slowly raised his head. Oh shit, big hell naw moment, his head immediately began throbbing a lot harder than before and reeled. Judging by how shitty he felt, he was positive he was going to be sick... At this point he wasn’t sure it’d make him feel better or worse... Weakly, Benrey slowly tried to move his hand to his head. His... arm moved but... it felt stuck.... what the hell? After a series of painful choked coughs and trying to shake dust out of his hair, Benrey painfully cracked open one eye, then the other. As his vision swam, he blinked trying to focus on something, anything. Someone... was in front of him...? Squinting didn’t help him see any better, it only made his head hurt more…  
Despite his eyes being partly open, he couldn’t see shit... Huh… this place sure had some weird-ass lighting… This a rave or something?... 

With mounting fear, Benrey tried moving his other arm. It was stuck, just like the other. After several moments, he just blinked. ... Okay... This is totally not a funny prank… Not cool. Sweat began to roll freely down his forehead and cheeks. The aching in his head didn’t help him sift through why or how nothing was working right.... Now beginning to panic, he tried to shift his left leg; his legs didn’t move either. When he did move his leg, he felt something tightly wrapped around his pants legs, keeping his legs together. As he slowly shifted his other leg, he cried out in agony, pain shooting up from the deep cut that ran up down his entire shin. How was he still conscious... Should’ve been out from blood loss by now... Hazy memories flowed through his mind... There wasn’t a single one of HIM patching up his own leg...

The only thing Benrey could do at that moment was gulp, feeling his blood pressure rise, awareness and panic beginning to suffocate him. Anxiety and the thundering of his small heart working overtime caused him to struggle and snapping him fully awake. The way his body protested at the slightest movements told him he had been running like hell, or he tried doing parkour drunk again... NEVER AGAIN. But a sudden rush of adrenaline from his anxiety was helping him ignore the pains and aches. For whatever reason, he had a crushing sensation that struggling was futile. The panic and urge to survive didn’t stop from trying, however. Stubborn as a mule, and stupidly persistent, as his mother always told him… Thanks mom.

Now thoroughly rattled, he tugged and pulled, feeling something cold and solid keeping his hands tucked behind his back. It felt... metal? Didn’t matter, whatever it was it pretty damn wide... With a lot of struggling and squirming, Benrey tried to figure out what was holding his hands back… Metal, cuffs…? No, it was flexible… But sturdy as hell… Rope…? WAIT… Was... was he tied up?! What the actual hell was going on?! Sweat rolled down his forehead freely, as the realization of what was happening was becoming too much to bear. Fast ragged breaths escaped his lips. This couldn’t be real... This was one sick prank… The only thing he felt was… Pure terror. Petrified didn’t begin to scrape the surface of how he felt at this moment. Whatever party happened last night; it took an extremely bad turn. 

There was some slight movement just out of the corner on his eye, which snapped his attention immediately. The sudden movement made Benrey scream, as he tried to press his back and body deeper into the metal bar. Stupidly forgetting not to move his left leg, pain shot up his shin and through his body. The pain made him cry out loudly, tears actually stinging his eyes from how much this hurt, and how scared he was… The pain itself was making him feel sick all over again, as a new wave of nausea hit him… The thought of actually passing out from the pain or the anxiety was crossing his mind a lot… Honestly, he truly wanted to, this was horrible… Just close your eyes, once ya wake up, you’ll be back in bed, screaming from a horrible nightmare... Noise complaints from the neighbor, again… YEAH… Totally… For whatever reason, he couldn’t believe his own lies… not this time. This FELT too real… It… wasn’t real… was it...? Honest to god, he prayed this was the worst possible acid trip ever. If he woke up, he was never drinking or taking any drugs again. 

The soft and EXTREMELY CLOSE sounds of hissing nearly made him scream loud enough to shatter glass. Oh god... this wasn’t real... this couldn’t be... no way... That noise finally got him to open his eyes… As he slowly blinked a few times, his visions began to slowly return… Something, was in front of him, still sorta blurry but… There was soft breathing... Hearing the breathing made trying to swallow that lump caught in his throat nearly impossible. OH MY GOD… WAS HE IN A HOSTAGE SITUATION?! WHAT… WHAT WAS GOING ON!? HE DIDN’T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY!!! And he wasn’t sure if his mother or stepfather would have enough to bail his ass out of this mess… Not to mention his stepfather is a high-ranking FBI official… That placed a massive target on his back… Didn’t even care much for his stepdad… Tried to act like his dad and it only made Benrey resent him… That… MAN, would never replace his father. Shit, well this really sucks. Wondered if his stepdad would even bother looking for his corpse… 

Timidly, he opened one eye, then the other… Blinking rapidly, Benrey gazed in the direction he saw the movement before, the source of the breathing. A loud gasp escaped his lips, eyes shooting wide open. NO. NO… NOO! THAT WAS NOT… NOT POSSIBLE… THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE… IT HAD TO BE… That… couldn’t be… That... was that the snake man from before?! Oh god... he didn’t kill him...? Those comments the snake man said before… ‘You won’t be dead when you wake up, I’ll kill you quickly, unlike many of the other inhabitants here…’ Somehow, that REALLY didn’t make him feel any better… The sight of the snake man just INCHES from his tied-up body made Benrey’s entire body tremble, and he felt his bottom jaw quiver. The… man, er, HUMAN parts were extremely handsome… but… the lower half, was a long thick snake body, which started just under the man’s HUMAN hips. Just under the man’s sturdy hips, was the connection to the long snake body, that seemed to just merge perfectly together, somehow… SEAMLESS… completely natural… HOW… All Benrey could do was stare, trying to figure out how that was possible… There were no scars, just large plated belly scales riding up just below the man’s bellybutton. The scales seemed to fade just under his navel, almost looking like a cool scaly belt… Despite him wanting to figure out how the hell this was even possible, the angry looks and hisses from the snake man seemed to snap Benrey out of his staring fit.

As Benrey felt his gaze creep a bit further up, he noticed their stomach was flat and there was quite a bit of their ribs poking out... The man was definitely underweight, especially for their body size and build... this was a LARGE MAN, solidly build and muscular upper arms... Oh, he must’ve imagined the man being a bit plump… After a while, he realized he was uh… staring a lot at the man’s chest and strong… upper arms… With a slight high-pitched squeak, Benrey felt some heat go to his cheeks as his gaze focused on the man’s face… Those, scary yellow eyes… 

With a gulp, Benrey nearly choked when he caught himself ogling this snake man... okay, this freaking SNAKE MAN, just tried to EAT AND kill you, tied you to some pole and NOW you’re checking him out... Brilliant job, Benrey... Stupid idiot... Each time he tried to breathe; his breath seemed to hitch in his throat. Now realizing… Super hard to swallow anything if your throat was so dry… Shit. Weakly, Benrey just remained staring at the man’s gorgeous facial features… Well, if he was gonna die, may was well enjoy the eye candy... Oh, shit… DAMN, it was even better up close… Didn’t get a good view in the lighting from the room before, or bravely hiding under that desk… DAMN. Could cut his finger on how sharp those cheekbones were… Wait… dented nose bridge…? Benrey swore that man’s nose wasn’t bent when he caught a very limited glance before the chair smack… O-OH… Haha, that was uh… probably his doing right… Oh, THAT WAS WHY HE WAS SO UPSET… Benrey ruined his pretty ass face that TRIED TO KILL HIM. ASSHOLE HAD IT COMING!!!! This was... becoming too much to handle… With a small whimper, Benrey squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lower lip. That man’s scrutinizing gaze wasn’t helping him feel less sick… 

There was a long slow shiver that ran up Benrey’s spine as he felt the man’s gaze gently fall him over, before hearing some soft swearing, followed by the snake man shaking his head, with a soft blush softly dusting his defined cheekbones... More than likely mentally scolding himself for doing the exact same thing Benrey was… Ogling… wait, was the snake dude... checking him out too?! That thought made Benrey’s heart flutter slightly, his cheeks burn horribly, and his knees buckle a bit... Awe, come on what the hell, he wasn’t even standing up how is that possible!? Stupid body betraying him, so not cool. Seriously, he was gonna die, quit thinking the guy trying to kill you is attractive… Yet, why hadn’t this guy killed him already…?

Before Benrey could think about it, he locked eyes with snake man. Whoa… Many words came to Benrey’s mind, horrifying, gorgeous, deep yellow gold that shone like the sun delicately caressing wheat in the fields before being harvested… Thin black cat-like pupils rested gently in the center of the man’s eyes, giving him an extremely intimidating presence. Like he wasn’t enough already? Drama queen much… Pppft. This grumpy ass snake man had a stubble of a beard/goatee kind of beard filling in, but it wasn’t a full beard yet. Or, it was recently shaved and filling back in again… DAMN, this was TORTURE. It should NOT be legal for a man to be this attractive… Maybe, that was just him… 

Either way, it was not jelling Benrey’s sanity, this guy was unbearably attractive. The only part that got Benrey to despise this man to his very core was all the bullshit he just pulled earlier, now being held hostage and tied up… This guy’s looks wouldn’t be enough to save his scaly ass if he got free. So was gonna kick this guy’s ass if he could or drive him to insanity… whichever came first before he died. Physically kicking this guy’s ass would be SO MUCH MORE satisfying, but he was a bit tied up at the moment. Wow, that pun was a lot less funny when you’re actually tied up. Lost his POG status on that one… Dammit. Whatever he was gonna die… no one would know but the snake dude, he didn’t seem to have many friends…haha… loser… 

The man had the same dark brown scales and black and white banding down the snake’s body, while his skin was a deep bit gentle shade of tan... Glancing timidly over the man’s much darker skin and then glancing at his own, making Benrey feel like a ghost in comparison to him... Damn he really needed to get out a bit more... Gently, and with a tired sigh, Benrey shook his head, staring right into this man’s eyes. Anger boiled up from his chest, narrowing his deep blue eyes. No, he was done dealing with this shit. With a loud sigh and an eye roll Benrey felt that, know what, imma die anyways. No way was he going to let this prick get off free as a bird for doing this to him... this dumb fool was gonna get a full taste of what happens when you mess with him. It’ll probably cost him his life but... at this point he figured he was gonna be eaten by this snake man anyhow. A faint smirk, as he hoped he left a bad taste in his mouth, or something, Benrey thought bitterly. Perhaps food poisoning, shit yeah… Eat shit snake dude. 

With a great deal of struggling and tugging at the ropes keeping him uncomfortably pressed into a metal beam, Benrey sat up a bit, returning that glare. With a deep inhale, Benrey scowled as the two of them locked eyes. The sound of the snakes on the man’s head hissing and aggressive, trying to break his nerve. Despite that intimidation, Benrey refused to back down. Stubbornly, he held his gaze, refusing to back down. The snake man seemed to growl now; he sure didn’t like his authority being challenged. With a sudden burst of confidence, Benrey smirked slightly with a cocky expression appearing on his face. Slight cock of his right eyebrow, and arrogant half-smile… worked EVERY. DAMN. TIME. 

The one thing Benrey was a pro at, was making people angry, and being annoying as hell. Just knew how to push the right buttons... AND sometimes flirting his way out of situations he didn’t want to be in… Worked, he didn’t have much confidence or ego to lose, so it wouldn’t be much of a loss. This guy, oh my gosh this guy was gonna be so easy to break. Just staring was already getting under his skin. With sick satisfaction, Benrey smirks slyly now, his eyes narrowing just slightly. How far did he wanna push this…? May slip in a wink when the guy looked away… That drove the men mad… Worked like a charm… 

It had taken a moment for to Gordon feel his blood pressure rise. Not long after, he felt his right eyelid twitch. Oh, this little twerp… THIS… THIS OUTRAGSOUESLY IRKSOME… ATTRACTIVE… LITTLE PUNK! This little shit has the AUDACITY to try and stare him down after waking up. Ooooooh no, not happening. That damn LOOK made Gordon growl, his snakes getting increasingly aggressive and riled up. The snakes on the man’s head hissed and snapped angrily, matching his own anger. As the snakes did so, Gordon felt his anger creep higher. This little punk was ACTUALLY DUMB ENOUGH TO challenge him. NO WAY, WAS HE LOSING TO THIS SMUG LITTLE FU-… 

Did… did he just wink at him!? Taken aback, Gordon felt his cheeks burn horribly, and actually looked away beyond embarrassed. Oh. My. God. That little BITCH actually broke him… There was faint snickering from the man, with faint wheezing as he tried his best to stifle his laughter… If driving Gordon to the point of madness was this… this… troll’s goal, it was working. That smug ass look was driving HIM INSANE!!! The way he just seemed exactly how to press Gordon’s buttons… Barely knew this guy for an hour, yet this man was driving Gordon to the edge of his nerves… Honestly, Gordon thought he’d be better prepared from raising Joshua… Boy, was he wrong. 

In absolute frustration, Gordon hisses loudly whirling around to face the man teeth bared, but the man didn’t budge an inch, he didn’t even flinch. Classically, Benrey just smiled smugly, he was screaming on the inside, but he wasn’t going to drop his bluff. The two were so focused on their stare down they didn’t notice a small little gorgon slither between them, glancing at them both. The cute little gorgon blinked; his soft yellow eyes gleamed with curiosity. This was new… Daddy never shown such interest in anyone since momma… that was so long ago… Something about this new man… Made him smile. Sure made daddy blush a lot… A thought slipped through Joshua’s mind… Daddy was always sad and lonely… This guy seemed to be a good match… 

Oddly enough, Joshua had a bit of 6th sense, a way to read people without needing to get to know them... although, he really wanted to meet this funny man… Something about him just clicked. That look in his eyes… It was all there. That same expression in his daddy’s eyes… Longing, yearning… As Joshua slowly slithered a short distance between the two men glaring daggers at one another, it was very obvious the smaller gorgon was related to Gordon. A near mirror image, with gorgeous darker tones and shades of dark skin, and even darker brown scales on his tail and stripe pattern running down his back. unlike his father, he had short black hair, that had delicate but soft waves that rippled through his messy hair… Daddy was gonna make him brush it when he noticed… UGH. After glancing curiously between the two men, Joshua finally piped up.

“Daddy, who is this? Why are you two staring at one another like that? Are you two gonna kiss? Should I cover my eyes? This is really gay, maybe I should just go to my room before this gets any more kissy kissy...” Joshua pipes in, the interruption causing Benrey to scream and jump. That sudden small but confident voice made Gordon’s face BURN HORRIFICALLY. At first, Gordon didn’t notice he was blushing, until Joshua so bluntly pointed it out moments later. With a very swift heard turn, Gordon stress at the smaller gorgon, and hisses faintly. An annoyed expression creeps across his face as he folds his arms his rattle waving a bit. UH OH. That was the angry resting bitch face dad had perfected…BUSTED.

“Joshie what on earth are you doing up?! It is waaaay past your bedtime young man!” Gordon scolds, turning his attention to the smaller cuter than a button gorgon, who just blinked innocently. That little trick of playing innocent made Gordon raised an eyebrow questioningly. After some staring between the two adults, Joshua focused his gaze fully on his angry father before glancing at Benrey again. Seeing a SECOND SNAKE PERSON made Benrey tremble horribly, and he looked paler than the ghost skin tone he already had. 

That scare finally broke him... he was full-blown panicking. For whatever reason, kept his eyes locked on the small gorgon child. Despite him scaring the shit out of him... that kid was sure freaking cute... and pure evil... he could tell but how much he and his “dad” were butting heads. Immediately, watching this kid’s ability to dodge and completely throw his dad off with his witty banter and snappy comebacks, he knew this kid was a character. At the time, Benrey didn’t understand what this kid’s diabolical plan was, but for some reason or another, it was actually keeping Benrey calm... Strange... Oddly enough, the kids just kept staring at him… what does this kid want…?

After Benrey took a couple of minutes to regain himself he smirked a bit as he listened to the banter between the two. This kid was sassy, smart, and hilarious. It took a lot to himself from laughing and snorting like a fool at the kid’s witty banter with his father. When a snicker did accidentally slip through, he felt the dad attempting to bore holes through his skull. Benrey saw a lot of himself in that kid... he paused. Why the hell was there a child in a place like this...? This kid didn’t deserve to be sentenced to live and die in this kind of place... The smile fell hard from Benrey’s face as he felt a wave of sadness and pity wash over him... The kid didn’t deserve to be stuck down here… His own sorry ass? Yeah, he understood, but a child...?

With a loud yelp, Benrey watched curiously as the son slithered right up to his feet, before gently setting his small hands on his knees. The gentle touch from the kid’s small hands made him jump, blinking furiously trying to keep sweat from dripping into his eyes. What the hell was this kid doing?! As best he could, Benrey tried to scoot back but the kid took that as an invitation to slither up to his left arm and gently tug in his sleeve. There was a huge lump lodged in his throat, and Benrey seemed to wrestle with it to get it to go down. The amount of growling coming from big grump ass was beginning to make Benrey panic a bit… That look was the one of I’m going your rip your damn throat out while my kid is asleep… Why the hell was he getting all pissy, he didn’t even do anything!! The kid won’t leave him alone!

Some movement in the corner of Benrey’s eye makes him glance down at the kid and lets out a shaky breath. After a couple of failed attempts of keeping his voice from cracking, Benrey tried his best to sound calm and collected. They just stared at one another for a long stretch of silence. Damn, he just looked so curious... With a pang of guilt, he was doing this for the kid’s safety, and his own. Damn, this really sucked… couldn’t help it, Benrey loved kids. Their chaotic, funny, sassy, and yet the sweetest damn things if you get to know them. That strong urge to have a family of his own seemed to boil over, looking at this innocent little kiddo in front of him. Damn... he really felt his depression hit when he realized he probably wouldn’t get that opportunity.

Judging from the relentless sleeve tugging, this kid clearly wanted to talk to him... but, there was no point in trying to make friends with the kid. Not that it mattered much, he wasn’t going to be around that long... There wasn’t really a doubt in his mind as figured he was going to end up being that big jerk’s meal, and this lil kiddo’s... well. Benrey sighed. A sad but stupid thought, that at least he figured at he had found some purpose... despite the fact he was more than likely going to be eaten... Figured this kid was starving and just as thin as his father... The thought of being devoured by a giant snake man and his son wasn’t exactly a thought he enjoyed but... Maybe… in a way, he’d be helping...? At least the kid will have a better chance of surviving... live and let die...

“Uh kiddo, haven’t ya heard of stranger danger...? Shouldn’t uh... be talking to you, I don’t know ya. I’m sure your dad taught ya all ‘bout that, right? Not talkin’ to weirdos your old man DRAGS in...” Benrey says as gently and firmly as possible, glaring daggers at Gordon, his voice had a ragged edge at the end. Their eyes locked, glaring at one another. The snakes on Gordon’s head hissed and snapped more aggressively than before, a long-forked tongue slipped in and out between Gordon’s gritted teeth. There was a sudden cold sweat and chills that wracked his body once he caught a glimpse of Gordon’s teeth and jaws. 

Oh dear god! It was WORSE than a horror movie monster scene. There were a lot of scary-looking pointed fangs. After staring at the jaws of this snake man for a brief moment, that was all it took. For a split second, Benry swore his heart stopped beating. Deader than a door nail. As Gordon’s jaws parted a bit, he noticed that there was more than one set of jaws, the front jaws were like a dinosaur's sharp teeth, big and bone-crushing. The set behind those was snake-like, thin like needles, possibly hollow for injecting venom and pointing backward... Helping to drag large prey down his throat. Probably soon to be him... Shit... Maybe shit-talking him WAS a bad idea... maybe, if he chilled, the snake dude would be merciful and KILL him before eating him... alive...

Without warning, Gordon slithers right up against Benrey’s chest, he felt their bodies literally pressing against each other’s… This was UNBELIEVABLY uncomfortable... There was an extremely hit sensation burning his cheeks, he knew his face was redder than a tomato. The man’s face was right in his, his bare chest gently brushed against his shirt and vest... God, this day kept getting worse… Benrey was mentally dying, trying in vain to stamp down all the emotions and sensations he was having. The moment was quickly ruined by the snake man grabbing him by the throat and hoisting him off the ground, at least an inch. Panic gripped his entire body as the hand tightened, cutting off his oxygen, and coming very close to crushing his Adam’s apple along with his trachea and esophagus.

The sounds of gasping choking and gagging filled the air, along with strained and restricted struggling. Even his best efforts of trying in vain to wrestle his arms and hands-free from behind the bar were futile. There was little he could do but pathetically squirm and writhe in the man’s grasp, the noise of furious growling and hostile hissing drowning out the pleas coming from the man’s son who was now beside him. A soft whimper escaped his lips as he felt the snakes gently graze around his face and neck, his nose brushing gently with the snake man’s own. Tears rolled down his face freely now, from fear and from the pain... This had to be it. Wasn’t the way he was expecting to die but... There was a brief stillness before he heard a deep voice shatter the silence.

“DO NOT.... UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES... TALK TO MY SON...” was all Gordon snarled in Benrey’s ear, as he felt the man squirm weakly in his grasp. There were soft dripping noises as Gordon felt the man’s warm tears gently land on his arm, along with some that hit the dirty metal floor. Maybe that will shut the smug bastard up for a while... With a dangerously sharp glance at Joshua, Gordon felt his resolve break… Shit, Joshua was openly crying and begging him not to hurt this man... The only sensation Gordon felt was regret. Snapping in front of Joshua like that was something Gordon swore he’d never do... With an annoyed grunt, he simply drops the man, who landed with a pained whimper in a heap, his vest and shirt ripping as he fell to the floor. The tense air was filled with pained wheezing gasps and muffled sniffs, along with some strangled coughs.

With a loud sigh, Gordon didn’t dare glance at Joshua. Didn’t need to look at him to tell how scared, confused, and angry he was at him. The biggest reason he couldn’t look was to see the eyes of his wife… Joshua’s beautiful eyes, filled with sorrow and disappointment staring back at him... He had his mother’s gorgeous eyes... All anger and fight seemed to leave Gordon, leaving him drowning in his own self-loathing and disappointment. With a pained huff, Gordon slowly slithered away to a small cave-like hole in the foundation wall and curled up inside of the dark shallow cave. What was wrong with him.... it was like he didn’t know himself anymore. That thought and the pain of that single comment was enough to make tears well up in Gordon’s eyes. It scared him, beyond words... 

The sensation of a small scaly belly crawling onto his folded arms made Gordon jump. Within moments of sitting up slightly, small arms wrapped around his chest and neck, Joshua snuggling close to him. The gesture made tears come rolling freely down his face. happiness wash gently over him, like that comforting blanket you needed when you fell asleep at a desk working overtime. Gently, Gordon wrapped his arms around his son, pulling him close. The only thing keeping Gordon going at this point was Joshie... Despite it all, Joshie always forgave him when he cracked under pressure or stress. So much like his mother... how badly Gordon wishes she were her with them... In every situation, no matter what came, she always knew what to do. Gordon didn’t.

Sometimes, Gordon wished so badly that Joshua’s mother was there instead of himself... She would’ve done so much better at raising Josh, not him... That thought made Gordon wrap his arms tighter around Joshua’s now half-asleep form. He didn’t realize how over several hours had passed... No wonder Joshua was so sleepy he was probably waiting for him to come home. Honestly, he didn’t know what he was doing anymore... All Gordon could only hope and pray that an answer would come soon, for all their sakes.

For the longest time, Benrey didn’t move. Just sitting there, blinking felt good enough. The once throbbing ache in his throat died down, but he felt the bruising set in. It still hurt like hell, but nothing compared to previously. That man sure had a strong grip... That got a wince out of Benrey along with a shiver. There was without a doubt going a very nasty bruise... The sensation of that man’s hand wrapped around his throat made him sniff again. That scared him pretty badly. That small glimmer of hope that this was an awful nightmare he could wake up from vanished.

Those now vanishing hopes of surviving this mess were evaporating in his hands as the brutal unrelenting sun dried up what little water remained to sustain him a bit longer. As his head hung limply, his messy shaggy hair fell into his eyes. There wasn’t even enough strength to keep his head up anymore... all his fight, vigor, and spirit was gone. All that remained behind was a hollow body... Trapped deep wherever or whatever this hell hole was... Didn’t matter, it was soon to be his grave.

Just like his life outside of this nightmare place, he felt everything he had was stripped from him once again. The future, a family, finding someone to spend his life with, build a family and a life together, watching their own or adopted children grow up... That single image of watching all those dreams he yearned for fade into darkness in his mind caused a choked whimper to escape his lips. The tears from before seem to return as he wept as quietly as possible in the abandoned lab. That drive and yearn to escape and survive were gone. This was just so UNFAIR, life had never been gentle with him… Insult to injury, salt in the wounds… 

As he felt those awful thoughts rip him apart, he just did his best to curl up as tightly as he could… and ignored how much it hurt his leg. Time passed painfully slow for Benrey, despite that there was no indication of how much time had passed. Whenever Gordon or Joshua came by, he barely moved. A day or two must’ve crawled by on broken legs... The faint conversation of the snake man saying he was going to hunt and that he WAS NOT allowed to talk to that man. There was a long stretch of silence before the small voice agreed. Sleep seemed to weave in and out of his body as he heard bits and pieces. Eventually, it did come to him, but unfortunately, his hope of getting any decent rest was quickly interrupted by a small half human half snake child gently shaking his shoulder.

Ugh... what the hell... it had taken him DAYS to fall asleep... if he could call it that. The shaking became more persistent, and Benrey’s attempts to ignore it weren’t working. Slowly, and with a serious amount of pain, Benrey raised his head. God, his neck hurt so badly... There was a brief wave of anger and aggression spiking in Benrey’s mood. There was a glare sent towards the source of the shaking. He really wasn’t in the mood for this shit.

“Shi- wha... what the heck... can’t ya just let me have some peace...” Benrey snapped bitterly, looking up. No one was there... The hell? With panicked glances around him, it wasn’t the big snake... oh. Right, big ol’ grump butt left... that meant the smaller kiddo snake was left behind. A long pause, before his gaze drifted downwards. Sure enough, he saw that same cute little kid sitting beside his right arm. There was a lot of blinking before the sounds of loud sighing. With a great deal of struggle, Benrey shifted to try and turn away from the kid. There wasn’t enough energy to deal with the kid right now, and, he didn’t feel like having his ass kicked today... Not after that threat...

“Buzz off kid, didn’t you hear your dad telling you not to talk to me-...” Benrey was cut off by the kid smiling up at him with large brown eyes filled up unrivaled determination. It took a couple of moments of processing before Benrey heard what the kid asked him. A confused look slowly appears on Benrey’s face. God damn his weak resolve for those damned eager eyes… Just like his niece and nephew, this kid could read the word “sucker” on his forehead. 

“You... what...?” Benrey asked, his voice a bit raspy from lack of use and the strangle hold earlier that week... The kid, Joshua piped up louder, eagerly tapping on his leg. Geeze, this kid’s enthusiasm was infectious... It took a lot to keep Benrey from cracking a faint smile at this kid’s antics...

“Can you tell me a story? Daddy didn’t have time to read me one before he left... I won’t tell him I was talking to you... I know he acts mean and scary, but he’s actually very nice... He’s just super stressed. Ever since everything changed, he’s been worried all the time...” Joshua says, settling down a bit. Sure enough, Joshua leans back against the bar, resting right next to Benrey. Kids didn’t have much of a concept of personal space... Great. Kiss your ass goodbye. Big papa snake was gonna gut him like a fish later. With a sad look across his face, he shakes his head.

“I’m-uh... not good at telling stories kid... sorry... plus your dad wouldn’t want us being so close... stranger danger n’ all that...” Benrey says as gently as possible, feeling like a knife stabbed him through the heart. God damn, he hated doing this, but... It was for the best. A gasp escaped his lips as the kid gently grabs his shoulder and stares into his eyes as he glanced in shock at Joshua. Uh oh. Oh no. Don’t, he wouldn’t. He did. SHIT. OH GOD DAMMIT. DAMN HIS WEAK ASS… 

Benrey felt his heart melt as the kid was giving him the biggest and most adorable puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen. And the trembling lip just about made Benrey’s heart dissolve. The small high pitch voice that followed cracked Benrey altogether. God dammit, he hated how kids knew he was a pushover... Being so weak against the puppy dog eyes. Bianca, his older sister’s kids loved uncle Benrey cuz he was an absolute weakling and caved into their demands. Plus, he was the most badass uncle ever, duh. He just had a way with kids. This kiddo, Joshua, was no exception.

“PLEEEAAASSSE mister? Pretty please with a cherry on top?” Joshua begged, those huge endless brown eyes absolutely drowning him.

With a loud groan and an eye roll, Benrey looked down at Joshua, before a dorky smile crept across his face with a faint laugh.

“Just one, alright? Then you go back to bed. I’m sure your dad is gonna be furious that you’re not sleeping... again.” Benrey says and shifts to be sitting up straighter. The beam was digging into his back for the third time that hour.

“Alright, what kinda story you want, kiddo?” Benrey asks, as the kid claps happily and sits beside him, looking up at him eagerly.

“Wild West stories, with cowboys!!!” Joshua says excitedly, eyes gleaming brightly. That comment made Benrey paused, before smiling down at him. Charlie, his nephew, and Clarice, his niece LOVED fantasy stories, a close second was the wild west. “Cowboys huh? Best hold onto your Stetson, lil’ cow poke. I gotta long tale for ya!” Benrey says, taking up a country accent to match the story’s theme. Joshua was over the moon with excitement, he could barely sit still. After a moment to think of a good story, Benrey started telling him a long story about a lone cowboy who roamed the dusty trails with his trusty steed, Meadow. This cowboy was searching for his long-lost lover, Magnolia. Joshua listened intently, hanging into Benrey’s every word. Hours passed, neither Joshua nor Benrey noticed Gordon returning home, carrying strange dead critters on his tail as he slithered through that right labyrinth he created.

There was mounting suspicion as Gordon slithered closer. That sounded like voices, Joshua!! In a bit of panic, Gordon rushed back into the broken lab, panting. The moment his eyes spotted them; his jaw hit the floor. There, sitting on the man’s leg, was Joshua. The man, despite everything, was telling an excellent and exciting cowboy story to his son. Judging from how giddy Joshua was, he was loving every moment of it.

The burning sensation in his chest was of joy, seeing that bright smile returning to Joshua’s face brought tears to Gordon’s eyes. There was no doubt that he was beyond furious, but, watching the two together... seemed to dampen Gordon’s anger. For at least 10 minutes, Gordon sat and listened to the young man telling this story to Joshie. Despite how angry he was, he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt them, Joshua looked the happiest Gordon had seen him in years. It was best to remain hidden a bit longer. Listening to the soft gasps, or the excitement of Joshua’s face lighting up at the action scenes and horse-drawn carriage chases were his favorites... eventually, Gordon approached them quietly and cleared his throat.

That noise made Benrey jump and go incredibly pale. There was a loud gulp, and slight cowering, while Joshua turned around and beamed, his eyes blazing with excitement. “Daddy! Daddy! He was telling me such a cool Wild West story!!!” Joshua said eagerly, slithering up to Gordon and hugging him. A deep airy laugh escaped Gordon’s lips as he bent over and scooped Joshua up, gently tickling his belly.

“So I heard... I thought I told you not to talk to him young man...” Gordon says, his voice hard at first. There was a loud sigh a few moments later.

“But, I did forget to tell you a story didn’t I... I’m sorry Joshie I thought you were asleep... I told you one right before bed like I always do... what are your old man’s stories not good enough anymore? Huh?” Gordon says as he started tickling Joshua’s soft belly. The sound of loud squeals and laughter filled the air, as Joshua tried to wiggle free of his dad’s tickle attack. After a few minutes, both of them ended up on the floor, laughing.

The sounds of breathy laughs filled the air, as they both tried to catch their breaths. Slowly, Joshua rolled over onto his belly and slithered onto Gordon’s chest, gently hugging him. Not even two seconds later Gordon’s arms wrapped projectingly around Joshua’s small body. The two laid there for a short while, just enjoying the others company.

Eventually, Gordon sat up with a loud groan. The motion caused Joshua to roll onto Gordon’s stomach, his hand now messing up Joshua’s hair. A small smile made its way across Gordon’s lips.

“So... did you finish your story...?” Gordon asks, glancing at Joshua. There was a long painful silence. In mute horror, Benrey listened. Oh no... he was so dead... This time, that lump didn’t budge. Benrey nearly choked on it this time. While he was busy coughing up a lung, he missed the other half of their conversation. By the time he opened his eyes again, Gordon was sitting in front of him, his tail coiled under him neatly, with Joshua sitting on top of his tail.

There was a solid minute or two of Benrey sweating and staring. He looked beyond uncomfortable, confused, terrified, and worried. The tense silence was interrupted by Gordon’s voice, followed by Joshua’s begging.

“Well? Can I listen to the story too? I Gotta see what my boy has so riled up about... must be a good storyteller... Joshua is very picky about his stories...” Gordon says slowly, with some slight notes of annoyance. Although... wait... did he just... compliment him? They... want to hear the rest of his story...?

The silence continued until Benrey actually managed to speak without his voice cracking.

“I uhm... I can... if ya... both really wanna hear the rest...?” He offers weakly, looking uncomfortably at Gordon. His face seemed... neutral... and... almost soft... With a shake of his head, Benrey brushed that off. No way, he was seeing things. After a short period of trying to remember where he left off, Benrey continued his tale. The brave cowboy saved the town, rescuing the citizens and his lady friend from the band of crooks. By the time the story ended, Joshua was sound asleep in Gordon’s arms.

As gently as he could, Gordon scoops up Joshua in his arms and kisses his forehead, slowly slithering to that same cave he was curled up in previously. Softly, Gordon set Joshua down in a pile of blankets, pillows, and some old stuffed animals. After tucking Joshua in and slipping his favorite horse plushie under his arm and wishing him a good night’s sleep, Gordon slithered back out to the beam. Those strong broad arms were folded against his chest, with an annoyed expression on his face. The man, Benrey was looking ANYWHERE but at Gordon. The way he was sweating and shaking meant he knew he was in deep shit. There was a tense silence before Benrey very softly spoke up.

“.... You have a very sweet son, sir... it’s... rare to meet such a kid nowadays... You’re clearly a great dad... I’m... sorry. I don’t speak to him again, I swear... I deserve whatever... punishment you see fit...” is all he said. His voice was trembling, but full of sincerity. Those words nearly knocked the wind out of Gordon. Honest to god, Gordon was elated that guy wasn’t looking at him at that moment because he had tears rolling down his face. It took him a couple of minutes to get them to stop and gather his composure.

Damn, this guy sure was making this harder... Gordon thought. At the moment, Gordon was suspicious that this was a facade to get him to lower his guard, and then to have this guy strike and harm Joshua. But... the way he was telling that story, that way he seemed to interact with Joshua... He seemed like a natural with children... After taking some calming breaths, Gordon slowly sat down beside the man. Judging from how much the man’s heart rate and sweating picked up afterward, he knew he spooked him.

There was a silence. It lasted more than 20 minutes, and eventually, Benrey worked up the courage to glance at Gordon. A soft gulp could be heard from Benrey as Gordon just stared at him as if trying to figure out what his game was. Something hit Gordon hard... perhaps... this is just a normal guy like he and his son were once before they ended up trapped in here... Innocent... That meant his hands were tarnished by harming an innocent man... It took Gordon over 10 minutes to figure out the man was just staring at him, with a worried/concerned look on his face. If it was for himself or concern for his mental well-being, he wasn’t sure.

They sat there, silently, and uncomfortably. Neither seemed to be able to speak to one another, and Gordon sighs and pulls his tail up to his chest and rested his forehead on it, sighing. Gordon jumped horribly when he heard the man’s voice ring in the silence. It was so soft but loud enough to be heard. The man’s gaze was fixed straight down, at something just beyond his feet.

“... Why haven’t you killed and eaten me yet... I’m not gonna get any fatter man... Trust me I’ve tried. Doctors tried everything, I can’t gain any weight... Literally...” Benrey says, almost sympathetically. This leaves Gordon to pause and mentally scramble for an excuse. He turned to face the man, about to say something, and his jaws slowly shut. The bruises... he did that... oh god... what had he done... Those were pretty bad... It took another 5 minutes of silence before Gordon says anything.

“I can’t... bring myself to kill someone else’s child....” he says very slowly. That comment made Benrey turn and stare, eyes wide. No matter how many times he tried to open his mouth to respond, nothing came out. Not being able to do much else, Benrey sat there, silent. Slowly, there was a soft nod in understanding. That was something he could understand. 

“I’m... sorry I hit ya with the chair...” Benrey says gently, a faint smile and a glint of mischief in his eyes. “But to be fair, you attacked me first, claimin’ self-defense on that one...” Once he stopped talking there was a loud lip smack. That made Gordon roll his yellow eyes.

“Whatever... don’t push it I may still eat you... if ya piss me off...” Gordon jokes gently, laughing faintly. Just then, Gordon made a mistake of stealing a glance at the man who was staring at him with a soft smile, with a faint blush. Both of them look away, faces flushing much more than before.

The man clears his throat, gently turning to Gordon. His voice has a bit of a tremble to it, not of fear but more, nervous.  
“So uh, what’s your name?” Benrey asks, face flushing more. Gordon blinked several times and looks away blushing furiously.  
“I’m uh. Gordon, Gordon Freeman. You?”

The man glanced at Gordon, with a smile on his face, showing all teeth. They were all pointed and sharp... that... those... weren’t human teeth... what the hell?! “Just call me Benrey... Benrey Calhoun....” the man said, his voice slightly playful.


End file.
